Keyword alliteration in brand names not exactly match in meta description
.-.-
Missing recommended links
https://www.vistaprint.com/hub/how-to-create-a-brand-style-guide
https://www.vistaprint.com/hub/how-to-build-your-brand
https://www.vistaprint.com/hub/brand-identity
https://www.vistaprint.com/hub/cheap-branding-strategies-small-business
https://www.vistaprint.com/hub/branding-fails
Coca-Cola, PayPal and TikTok—these names are catchy, repetitive and account for some of the best-known brands out there. Have you noticed what they all have in common? Alliteration! Alliteration in brand names is the simple technique of repeating letters or sounds at the start of words that can make a massive difference in brand recall and customer loyalty. Read on to find out more about how to approach and implement alliteration in branding. This is the article for you if you’re just about to launch a business of your own and are looking for the perfect name guaranteed to grab customers’ attention.
- The power of repetition and alliteration helps brands create unforgettable names that can stand out in a saturated market.
- Coming up with a brand name that stands out is a process that requires a dose of wit and creativity. For many household names like Coca-Cola, Dunkin’ Donuts and PayPal, the magic lies in their alliteration.
- Alliterative names and brand copy produce a repeating rhythm that makes them catchy and easy to remember. Used in branding, alliteration can improve brand recognition and recall.
- Different types of alliteration in branding include assonance or repeating vowel sounds, consonance or repeating consanant sounds, general alliteration and symmetrical alliteration.
Source: Alliteration brand name logo by merci dsgn via 99designs by Vista
What is alliteration?
Does the phrase ‘She sells seashells by the seashore’ ring a bell? Or how about ‘Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper?’ You may be familiar with these tongue twisters from when you were young, reciting them faster and faster until you got tongue-tied. Fast forward years (or decades) later, and you can still remember these lines.
But what makes them so memorable?
They all use alliteration. Alliterative lines produce a repeating rhythm that makes them catchy and easy to remember. It’s exactly why kids benefit from nursery rhymes and tongue twisters—their simplicity and musicality make for a good formula for speech development and building memory.
Source: Donuts by Dominic branded hoodie via VistaPrint
Other examples include well-loved fictional characters from childhood, like Daffy Duck, Willy Wonka and Big Bird. Don’t forget pop icons Brigitte Bardot, Charlie Chaplin, Kim Kardashian and Marilyn Monroe. Alliteration doesn’t just happen with words of the same letter, either, it also works with words of the same sound, so you can count Clark Kent and Kelly Clarkson.
Merriam-Webster defines alliteration as a literary device that integrates sounds produced when words are uttered to break up the monotony of a paragraph or a sentence. It could be repeating consonants, vowels, letters or syllables. Alliteration was first found in ancient poems but has gradually made its way into songs, stories, and even marketing and branding.
So what happens when we use alliteration in brand communication?
Why is alliteration used in branding?
1. Alliterative phrases produce a lyrical effect
Ever found yourself saying, “Oh, it rhymes,” with glee after uttering a line or two that accidentally rhymes?
Source: Business card using alliteration via VistaPrint
Eliciting emotions through written copy comes from your choice of words, their meaning and how they sound when combined. It’s this subtle rhythm that creates a lyrical effect and adds to the auditory experience. Alliteration can convey a variety of moods, whether that’s playful, somber or energetic.
The name Crunch n’ Munch, for instance, gives you a taste of how crunchy and addictive their caramel-coated popcorn and peanuts are. PayPal, on the other hand, rolls off the tongue easily and quickly, alluding to its straightforward payment process.
2. Encourages high recall
Because of the sound that alliterative phrases produce, the brain finds it easier to remember them. A study was conducted to compare how people react to alliterative and non-alliterative phrases. Results show that when the brain starts to process information, if the phrases are alliterative, readers’ attention is elevated and they are more likely to link concepts. They can understand and recall things more efficiently.
This is especially relevant when coming up with a brand name—in today’s competitive market, you would benefit more from an alliterative brand name that stands out in a sea of brands and sticks in customers’ minds.
Now that we’ve established what alliteration is and why it’s used, let’s delve into the different types and identify how businesses have implemented them in their branding.
Types of alliteration in branding
1. Assonance or repeating vowel sounds
Take a look at this copy from BarkBox, a company that provides subscription-based services and products for pet owners who are always on the go. It opens with a brand promise, ‘Our Pack Has Your Back,’ relaying how BarkBox is always one step ahead in satisfying the needs of its customers’ dogs.
Source: Brand website copy via BARK
The repetition of the ‘ah’ sound gives the brand’s tagline extra oomph to capture the readers’ attention. This use of repeating vowels is called assonance. And to exaggerate its message, the pet brand topped things off with ‘No muss, no fuss, no disappointed pups.’
Aside from pioneering e-commerce in Asia, the easy-to-remember brand name Taobao (meaning ‘seeking treasure’) has a more playful sound compared to its competitors like TMall and JingDong. And it makes sure to leverage this in its ad campaigns, too.
Source: Taobao Double 11 campaign video via YouTube
The Taobao brand name uses assonance to increase recall in the minds of its users. A quick listen to Taobao’s Double 11 campaign video of a man singing and dancing to an upbeat song, ‘Let’s Taobao Lah’, it’s clear the repetition of the ‘ao’ sound is intended to give a bouncy rhythm and help make sure the song gets stuck in people’s heads.
Another oldie but goodie is Heinz’s iconic ‘Beanz Meanz Heinz’ slogan penned in the late ‘60s. At the time, the team at the marketing company Young & Rubicam had to create a campaign that would build Heinz’ brand equity in a saturated market.
The campaign’s target audience was homemakers serving baked beans to their kids. That sparked an idea for the brand to come up with the alliterative line ‘Beanz Meanz Heinz,’ equating the love for the food with the brand.
Over time, children’s poems and ad jingles followed suit with the addition of assonance. Decades after its launch, the slogan is still in use with slight variations, like ‘Beanz Meanz More.’
Source: Alliterative slogan ‘Beanz Meanz Heinz’ via World Brand Design
Source: Variations of the alliterative ‘Beanz Meanz…’ slogan via World Brand Design
2. Consonance or repeating consonant sounds
Consonance alliteration (or the repetition of consonant sounds) can be seen in the iconic Covergirl magazine slogan, “Easy, breezy, beautiful!” through the stressed syllables ‘sy’ and ‘zy’.
Tic Tac is another excellent example of how consonance can make a lasting impression. Interestingly, the alliterative brand name is derived from the clicking sound that its packaging makes when you open and close it. It goes tic and tac, hence Tic Tac!
Keep in mind that assonance and consonance usually appear in the middle or at the end of words. So, what if the repetition of sound appears at the beginning?
3. General alliteration
General alliteration is when the first letters of each word are similar, like the popular Bed Bath & Beyond! While the company name has undergone several iterations, like Bed ‘n Bath and Bed ‘n Bath Outlet, they finally took off with the addition of ‘Beyond’. This made saying the brand name all the more satisfying as it rolls off your tongue.
Source: Alliterative brand name via Bed Bath & Beyond
The benefits of using this type of alliteration in branding are perhaps best described by a quote from Stan Lee, who is known for creating alliterative character names, like Peter Parker and Susan Storm.
“I have the worst memory in the world…So I finally figured out if I could give somebody a name where the last name and the first begin with the same letter…I could at least remember one name. And it could give me a clue what the other name was.”—Stan Lee
In the same way, brand names, such as Best Buy or Dunkin’ Donuts, that use general alliteration have higher recall among consumers.
4. Symmetrical alliteration
Symmetrical alliteration is slightly different to general alliteration in that letters that sound similar are repeated. Think ‘C’ and ‘S’, ‘T’ and ‘D’, ‘B’ and ‘P’. For example, Calvin Klein, CitySearch and Citric Systems.
These consonants, whether fricative (soft sounding like ‘s’ and ‘z’) or plosive (hard sounding like ‘t’ and ‘b’), command a copy’s rhythm making it extra catchy. For example, Capital One’s slogan “What’s in your wallet?”, the syllable “wa” is notable as it creates a seamless flow between the first and last words.
Source: Donuts by Dominic coffee sleeve via VistaPrint
How to use alliterative brand copy
Using alliteration to zhuzh up your brand message or brand name is always a good idea, especially if you are limited to a phrase or two. When integrating alliteration into your branding, keep these helpful tips in mind:
1. Choose a unique yet easy-to-pronounce brand name
Business owners are always eager to come up with unique brand names. It makes sense since there are just too many competitors that can easily copy what you have. Case in point: when I mention the brand Dove, half of you associate it with the soap and the other half would think of chocolates. Two similar but very different brands.
When deciding on a brand name, consider your audience and how they would perceive it. Is your chosen brand name easy to read, pronounce and remember? Test your brand name ideas in a brainstorming session by asking people to read them out loud and see if they recall them in an hour or two. The easier the name is to process, and the catchier it is, the longer it will last in people’s minds.
2. Focus on important phrases
More than to inform or relay a message, optimize the impact of your brand copy—whether a slogan, print copy or packaging—by integrating key phrases that you would like to associate with your brand. You can then take these phrases up a notch with alliteration, like car brand Jaguar’s “Grace, Pace, Space.”
3. Communicate your brand’s tone of voice
Alliteration has the power to transform ordinary brand copy into a statement that evokes emotion. But it’s important to always keep your audience in mind and use your brand voice, especially if your business caters to B2B where a less playful approach is more fitting. For instance, accounting company Ernst & Young (EY) alliterative tagline, “Building a better working world” is snappy yet appeals to its more serious audience.
4. Don’t use too much alliteration
While alliteration can be fun to apply, it can be a turnoff if it’s overdone. Remember that the core benefit of alliteration—used sparingly—is to bring attention to brand names or important phrases that you want your audience to remember.
Alliteration in brand names FAQs
Which brand names use alliteration?
Household brands like Coca-Cola, Krispy Kreme, Best Buy, Dunkin’ Donuts, PayPal and TikTok all use alliteration and the repetition of sounds in their names to increase brand recall.
Is alliteration good for a small business name?
Definitely! Alliteration has been proven to increase memory recall, and so alliterative brand names are easier for customers to remember. Small businesses can use alliteration by brainstorming creative combinations of words that highlight their unique offerings or values. For example, a bakery might consider names like “Sweet Solutions” or “Pastry Paradise” to create a memorable identity.
Is Coca-Cola alliteration?
Absolutely! Coca-Cola is a great example of a famous brand that has used alliteration in its brand name, contributing to the company’s memorability and success.
Why is alliteration effective in branding?
Alliteration is effective because it makes brand names easier to remember, enhances their rhythm and appeal, and creates a pleasing auditory experience. This can help brands stand out in a crowded market and foster stronger recognition.
